Viet Nam kicked off the first phase of a project on dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Area in the Southern province of Dong Nai. 

The groundbreaking ceremony of the first phase of dioxin
remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Project. Photo: VGP

The Bien Hoa Airbase, the primary Agent Orange storage and handling site, is the largest remaining hotspot of dioxin contamination in Viet Nam.

In 2016, USAID, in partnership with the Government of Viet Nam, completed an assessment of dioxin contamination at the airbase. The assessment identified almost 500,000 cubic meters of dioxin contaminated soil and sediment in need of remediation – almost four times the volume that was remediated at Da Nang Airport.

In addition, more than 3.6 million hectares of forest was destroyed, 4.8 million have been exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin, while more than 3 million victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin have been suffering from grave diseases.

In 2018, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement with Air Defense-Air Force Command (ADAFC) for a US$183 million USAID contribution for the first initial five years of remediation work at the Bien Hoa Air Base area and the project was officially approved and launched in April 2019. USAID estimates overall remediation efforts will be completed over a ten-year period.

In the first phase between 2019 and 2025, the Ministry of National Defense will remediate 150,000 cubic meters of dioxin contaminated soil, sediment and water.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the project, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said wartime toxic chemicals still have affected people’s health and the environment despite the war ended more than four decades ago.

Binh said overcoming the consequences of toxin chemicals remains a pressing issue in a bid to ensure the core factors for national development and prosperity.

The launch of the first phase of dioxin remediation at the Bien Hoa Airbase Area reflects strong commitments of both Viet Nam and the US in addressing the war legacy in Viet Nam, Binh said.

He took the occasion to extends thanks to the American Congress, Administration and people, the Governments of Japan, the Republic of Korea, Belgium among others for their support and assistance for Viet Nam to overcome war consequences over the last years.

Last year, Viet Nam completed the six-year, US$110 million Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contamination at Da Nang Airport Project, jointly implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of National Defense.

The Da Nang project involved in treatment of over 90,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil and sediment through thermal desorption and safely contained an additional 50,000 cubic meters of low concentration, dioxin-contaminated material./.